Tag Archives: Critical Duty

I’m switching up my carry ammo for my Beretta. According to Hornady my previous carry load, their XTP Custom 115 grain load, zips out at 1155 FPS. I used to really like the XTP’s, and the Winchester SXT’s, which were about the same. With the ammo drought going on, the load I wanted to get for my Beretta 92FS was the PDX1’s, were just not available. I’ve actually been waiting for those suckers to come in since I got the 92!
Today, we did get in some 9mm defense stuff. 1 case. Just one. So I snagged some. Hornady’s new Critical Duty 135 grain +P. These suckers are stepping out at a very respectible 1115 FPS. Only 40 FPS slower, but a lot heavier. Felt recoil is increased some… I feel more push, but not as sharp of a kick as I was expecting. Accuracy is spot on. I dig that. And the fact that’s as heavy as my old favorite .40 cal loads. This is a comfortable load for me and a comfortable load for the big full sized Battle Handgun Beretta 92FS.
Accuracy and Reliability are there, and according to all the reports I’ve read, the Terminal Ballistics are there too. I hope I never have to find out though.

I’m a big fan of both. Hornady ammunition is solid, reliable, and accurate. Their Critical Defense line of ammo is very good. Very clever. Putting a rubber plug in the cavity of a hollowpoint to insure expansion without the need for they hydrostatic pressure to force expansion. Brilliant. And the Critical Duty like is a tougher bullet, loaded hotter. I’m impressed with the 135 grain 9mm CD load so much so that I may adopt it for use here at Ogre Ranch and for my personal carry gun (this month being the Beretta 92FS) and for the carry load for my Son’s pistol, an M&P.
But is the new Critical Duty better for serious use than the Winchester PDX1 loads? Winchester did a great deal of engineering to get these loads just right, and they built off the long years of experience for making the most effective duty loads you could get for the last 20 years. I am an unabashed PDX1 fan. I was a fan of the Black Talons and the Ranger T loads. In fact, I still have Black Talons standing by. The PDX1 takes that reverse tapered jacket approach and now gives us the Bonding improvement that made loads such as the Gold Dots so popular.
I’m not sure… but I am thinking that I will keep the PDX1’s for all my guns, save for the 9mm’s and roll with Critical Duty loads for those. Actual testing will have to be done though before I make any changes.